Knitted wear



Dec. 19, 1939. R. E. DAvls, JR

KNITTED WEAR Filed Jan. 21, 1939 INVENTOR ATTORNEY `35 ployment of time-consuming Puentes Dee. 19, 1939 1mm a; 'nava seminal-11m. ss-1min This invention relates to knitted wear' and par' 'f ticularly to knitted articles having self-adjust-l ing means incorporated therein, and `toa'method of makingsuch articles. 5 .In the manufacture of knitted wen-*1t nasi been founl'th'at,` since `Atheseveral portionsgof -the body of the wearer vary vconsiderably indie.` ameter and shape,- it is necessary to'either shape ycertain portions of the article 'or 'provide 'in` creased Av'elasticity of certain portions. In the" case 'of hosiery, for example, itis necessary to form the upper portion of the'leg ofthe stocke ing, sock or anklet of more elastic-fabric than` lthe plainf knit fabric whichvusually forms the leg and foot portions, in order to `permit the hose to be drawn over thel footl of the wearer J and to insure a snug lit of thetop portion on the correspondingportion of the leg vof the wearer. 5 It has been customary'in knitting 'half hose, 20 for example, to form the top or cuil? of rib lmit fabricdn order to provide the desired increased elasticity, and to knit the leg and foot'of plain knit fabric in order'to secure the desired fine-'- nessA of texture and neatnessof appearance.v In Y knitting seamless hosiery in accordance vwith the customary method,.the top or cuff is knit on a. rib knitting machinevemployingftwo sets of needles and the topis then transferred manually to a plain knitting machine employing'.l a)A I single set of needles on whichmachine the re-` mainder of the leg andfoot are knitted. f The f and preferabl'y'separated,circular courses at se`e ufr inwardly, with therresmt that the tion the y I N l e or" cuil did not snugly and neatly iitzthe `leg vand e an y.unsightly alllearancev resulted;

In accordancel with illustrative embodif ment f 1 Present' invention; a stocking, such' 5" "l as ,an anklet, for example,-is yformed withatop constituted by .essentially ,plain knit fabric, which preferably is knit uniform with' the other portions of the leggbutwhich "may be knit separatelyjand attached to the leg as4 desired. The'top basincorporatedtherein elastic thread which' provides the desired f shaping andv elasticity' .f this -portion of the anklet. The top is preferably formed by attaching thev elastic in a plurality of selected," 1'

lected, and preferably" "spaced, points in each course, the elastic being incorporated in any suitable manner, but preferablyby eitherfeedingit in the hooks of selected needles, or byfeeding it against the shanks of selected needles and behind 'intervening-needles'f y f The top is preferably knitted by 'a `knitting op- "i" eration'which produces aV looped or terry fabric;

manufacture of ribbed top stockings and the` like thus necessitates the use of additional machines, .the rib knitting machines and the emual operations. Y l

and expensivel man'-V top orcuff portion,- which hosek canbe knit without transferring, and which has thedeslred 40 elasticity and ability to t snuglyon thev leg of the wearer, stockings, half hose, ankletsand the like ,have beenA made having elastic 'strandjma- 'teriaL' such as. elastic thread, incorporated thered inthroughout aportion-'or ally ofthe top or' cuff. -This has been accomplished by attaching"v elastic thread to thefinner face of the fabric during the" knitting operation. -Where'the elas` tic thread has beeny incorporated'in Ythis manner,`

it has notheretofore been expedient to provide outwardly'"turnedV cuffs, such (as are commonly desired on anklets, golf' hose and the like, irlasA much as,y when thetop o'r cuff is turnedout'-` wardly, the elastic thread is 'expo'sed ontheouter' surface ofthe hose; "It has, therefore; been necessary to provide `an unturned cuil orto fold The terry loops or tufts lof the auxiliary thread are positioned sc that'they extend over and conceal the elastic thread *on the inner face of the fabric and hence,v when the top portion of thev *y cuff is turnedy outwardly feto provide the two ply or folded-cuil', the elastic threads are concealed.- The elasticthread conveniently is continuous throughout thefselected coursesv and preferably is fed undera'suitable tension so that, whenthe top 'of ,the hose is completed, the fabric has'thef'* desired" increased elasticity ""ihus, the top'is self-addusting and fits the leg-of the wearer snugly and neatly.` The top, also exerts sufficient In orderr to provide hose having a plain distributed `compression ontheleg *of thel wearer e tol support the llege' portion of the 4'hosefin posij, tion without the use of extranecusnsupporting means, such asgartersfj In the'casejof an anklet, the cuii.' fits snugly against y.theanklet and does not sag or dropdown over the shoe ofthe wearer.v The present invention permits the production of a stocking, S0ck,'anklet Yor other garmentl knit entirely o feplain fabric on" a single machine, thus dispensing with the additional costv and main`- tenance of a rib knitting' machine. 'and eleminating the cost and annoyance of transferring the top. l At this point it will bejno'te'd,'hovsleveigv that the present inventionisfnotlimited toa stocking or other 'garment linittedonfajsingle j machine. Itis within the purview of one embodiment of the'y invention to knit the cuff on one machine and transfer thesame to another ma# thine to knit the -remainder of the garment m55 tageous.

An object of the present invention is the provision of lan article of hosiery such as a stocking, sock or anklet, having at least a portion thereof of such construction as to snugly and neatly fit the leg of the wearer.

Anotherxobject of the invention is the provision of a' hosiery article having elastic strand material incorporated therein and providing ar snug fitting construction, wherein the elastic strand material is effectively concealed when the article is in position on the leg of the wearer.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of an anklet formed of plain knit' fabric having elastic strand material incorporated therein and concealed in such manner that the top or cuil of the anklet can be turned outwardly to provide a neat and attractive appearance without exposing the elastic strand material.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawing.

Although the` novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part hereoi', in which Fig. 1 is a -fragmentary side elevational view oi' an anklet illustrating particularly the top or cuff, which is shown in turned over position;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary, and somewhat diagrammatic view of a cross-section taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Y Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the turned portion of the cuil illustrated in Fig. 2, this view being diagrammatic as to the positions of the threads and being intended primarily to illustrate the stitch formation.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art Will permit. Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

For the purpose of illustration, the invention is disclosed in connection with its application to a formation of an anklet to which the invention is especially well adapted. However, it will be understood, as the description proceeds, that the invention may be applied to other articles of apparel and particularly hosiery which have a portion adapted to t a predetermined part of the wearers body where it is desired that the article be more or less form-fitting.

Referring now to Fig. 1, the anklet is formed with a top or cuil' I,l the construction of which is hereinafter more fully described, a leg or ankle portion 2 and a foot portion 3, the latter being provided with the usual heel, instep and toe portions which are not shown in detail as they may be of any suitable construction.

The top or cuff I comprises an inelastic body or ground thread g knit to form needle loops 20 and sinker loops 2|, constituting plain `knit fabric having wales III, II, I2 etc. andcourses K, L, M, etc. A terry thread t is incorporated in the fabric in a suitable manner and in the present example, is knit to form needle loops 22, plated The elastic thread`e is incorporated by knitting loops 24 thereof with the needle loops of the in the aforesaid spaced courses K and M, `the f' ground thread g at the spaced wales Il and I3 elastic thread e being floated, as indicated at 25, between the loops 24. l

The anklet may be formed on any suitable knitting machine capable of knitting terry fabric and capable of incorporating elastic thread in the desired manner. Preferably, a circular stocking machine having terry sinkers (not shown) and an. elastic incorporating attachment (not shown) is employed.

The cuit I of the anklet is formed by knitting a plurality of successive courses of plain fabric, as for example, courses A, B, C, etc., these courses being knit from the inelastic ground thread g by feeding the ground thread g to all of the needles of the machine at a rst feeding station and thereafter actuating the needles at a knitting station by a suitable cam arrangement (not shown) in the usual manner, whereby the needles execute a knitting movement and draw loops of the ground thread y to form the usual plain stitches.

A terry thread t, which may be of the same color and kind as the ground thread g or which may be different, if desired, is fed to all of the needles, preferably at a second feeding station (which preferably is nearer the knitting station than the said rst feeding station), and these needles are actuated, preferably at the aforementioned knitting station, to draw the loops 22 of the terry thread t along with the loops of ground thread y. Suitable terry sinkers (not shown) of any ordinary construction are employed in the usual manner to form terry loops 23 of the terry thread t.

It will be noted' that, in the present example, the terry thread t is fed to all of the needles in all of the courses of the cuff and all of the sinker loops 23 of the terry thread are loose terry loops. However, as hereinafter explained, variations in the manner of knitting the terry thread t may be made without departing from the invention.

An elastic thread e is incorporated in the cuif during the knitting thereof. In the present example, the elastic thread e is fed to the hooks of selected needles at a third feeding station (preferably in advance of said first. feeding station) and the selected needles are actuated at the knitting station to draw loops of the elastic thread e alongwith the loops of the ground thread g and terry thread t, thus knitting the elastic thread e into the fabric at selected wales in plating relation with the ground thread g. In the present example, it will be noted that the elastic thread e is fed to and knitted by every other needle in every other course. However, variations in needle and course selection may be employed as hereinafter explained.

The selection of those needles which are to receive and knit the elastic thread e may be accomplished in `any known manner employed in forming plated fabric. For example, suitable cams (not shown) may be employed for raising agi'ssea The elastic threadis fed to the hooksy of `v`these se1ected,'; raised4 needles whereafter all U of the needles are actuated in the usual manner to knit the elastic thread into the fabric. y

.In the illustrative embodiment, the era-sue thread is knit` into every other course of the fab/ ric.- This may be accomplished either by needleselecting cams which are thrown into operation during the knitting of every' otherv course, or, by employing a multiple feed machine wherein two .inelastic ground threads are fed at two feedingv leaves the needles thereby providing increased.

elasticity to the fabric. However, in certain cases it may be found desirable to knit the elastic under onlyvsufcient tension s'o that when the fabric contracts as it leaves the knitting needles the elastic will contract correspondingly and thus will not have loops or lkinks therein but will be entirely incorporated in the fabric.

After the cuff has been completed, the knitting of the elastic thread ey preferably is discontinued and the machine is operated to knit plain fabric courses R, S, T, etc. In many cases it is desirable also to discontinue the knitting of the terry thread t so that the leg and foot' are formed of ordinary plain knit fabric. However, inother cases it may be desirable to provide a so-called fleece-lined anklet in which case the terrythread t is knit throughout the desired additional portions of the anklet.

The heel, instep and toe of the anklet may be knitted in the usual manner to complete the anklet; preferably, the leg and foot are made on the same machine as that on which the top is made, thus elminating the necessityfor transferring.

Various modifications maybe made in the con- -struction of the anklet without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the elastic thread may be knit intol the fabric in every Wale of the courses in which it is incorporated, or it may be incorporated in wales spaced apart by two or more intervening -wales and floated on the back of the fabric across these intervening wales. Variations may also be made in the course spacing of the elastic strands. For example, the elastic thread may be incorporated, either by knitting or interlacing, in every course, every other course, in every third course or with even greater spacing, between the courses in which it is incorporated. It is generally preferable to space the elastic carrying courses and provide one or more intervening courses free of elastic thread in order to prevent the fabric from being too dense.

If desired, the elastic may be incorporated in the fabric by feeding it under the latches of selected needles and behind the remaining needles during the knitting ofthe ground thread whereby the elastic is incorporated by interlacing with the loops of ground thread instead of being knit into thefabric in plating relation as where it is fed in the hooks of the needles. Where the elastic is incorporated by interlacingit may vbeincorporated incontiguous orfspaced-Lcourses. as may be desired, and may be yfed under the latches off every other needle, every Athird needle or in //other manners as will be apparent to those skilledin the lart. Where ythe elastic is incorporated in this manner, the terry thread may be incorporated in any suitable manner, it being only necessarythatthe terry loops be so located and of. sufiicient density to suitably conceal the V`elastic thread and toproduce the attractive appearance contemplated by the invention. l

It, will be understoodthat it is not necessary to incorporate 4the terryv thread in contig\ous courses but it may be incorporatedonly in every other course, every third course or the like. It is preferable, however, that the terry thread be incorporated in a sufficient/number of coursesv and so located and that thesinker loops be of sutlcient length so'as to substantially conceal thezelasticthread..`Y Where the elastic thread is incorporated in relatively widely spaced-courses of the fabric, the concealing of the elastic thread maybe accomplished by incorporating the terry thread in a course or courses at or near the elastic thread so that the terry loops extend over and conceal the elastic thread..

It is not necessary to incorporate the thread in such'manner that the loops thereof appear on the entire surface of the fabric but various design effects may be produced by suitable incorporation of the terry thread. Forexample, the terry thread may be Aomitted from certain courses, or it may be drawn with close sinker loops so that no. loose terry loops are formed. On'the other hand, other design effects may be produced by drawing the sinker loops tight in certain wales of one or more of the courses. For example, a striped or ribbed effect is produced if the loops of terry thread are drawn tight in corresponding spaced wales of consecutive courses.

'I'he terry'loops may be continued throughout the entire anklet, sock or stocking, except possibly .the heel and toe pockets, to provide anarticle having a thicker and heavier texture than ordinary plain knit fabric. In this case, the article can be turned inside out and worn inside out,

terry l in which case an unusual and attractive appear- .'case, no matter in what fashion the article is worn, the strands of elastic thread are concealed and do not detract from the attractive appearanceof the article.

While the terry thread may be incorporated in every course or spaced courses, as above described, beginning at the top of the cuil, an atj cuff and produces an attractive and unusual appearance.

The present invention is particularly advantageous in connection with the manufacture of so-called anklets which have relatively short leg portions adapted to terminate at the lower portion of the leg of the wearer adjacent the ankle. In order to provide a finished appearance for nxiets, the cua is often turned where elastic strand material is incorporated in the' cuff, it haa-not been-possible to turn thacif outwardly asthel strand material thereof'is exposed and presents anunsightlyv appearance. The presentvinvention fpermits the cuff to be turned outwardly and the terry loops enectively conceal the' elastic strandv material. Further- Y f the turned over cuff.

LTrie elastic thread incorporated-in the cuff provides-elasticityy for thecuil. and causes the Y v cud to cling?V to `and snugly ilt the leg of 'the wearer and thus prevents the 'cui from dropping over the top of the shoe vof the-wearer. and presenting an unkempt appearance. While the invention is particularly applicable to anklets, it

is also suitable for cther'articles, as for example,

golf stockings, sweater cuffs andthe like.

While certain novel features of theinvention havebeen disclosed-herein, and arepointed out' i`n the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What isclaimed is: f A l. An article of hosiery comprising a foot, leg

- and top, said top being formed of terry knit fabric, the terry loops of which project on the inner face thereof, rsaid top having an elastic thread incorporated therein throughout -a plurality of courses on the inner faceof the fabric, and said tufts being sulciently long and dense eine? tovsubstantially conceal said elastic thread, so that when said cutis turned outwardly atormfitting two-'ply cud 'is provided having. a plushlike'=surface exposed'and the elastic thread sub-y stantially concealed.

anklet` formedessentially lfrom. plain knit fabric having a top portion formed of terry knit fabric and having-elastic strand `material incorporated-therein and floated von the innerv face of the fabric', the terry loops being suil'iciently Idense and of su'iilcient length tooverli'e and substantially conceal the' elastic strand material..'y f' .3. An article of hosiery comprising foot, leg and top, said' top being formed of terry-knit fabric and having elastic strand material-incorporated therein under suilicient tension to provide a form-tting top.l

- 4. The method of knitting an article of hosiery on a circular knitting machine which comprises knittinga plurality of courses 'of terry knit fabric to Aform a top, incorporating an velastic thread in a pluralityLof courses-of'said top on the'inner face of said top and thereafter continuing tol knit plain fabric to formaleg and foot without removing the article from the knitting machine.V

5. The method of knitting an article of hosiery `which comprises knitting a plurality of courses ofplain knit fabric, thereafter knitting further coursesof terry fabric, incorporating an elastic thread in the `plain vknit coursesl and courses of terry fabric during the knitting operation, said elastic. thread being incorporated under sumcient tension to drawv in the top of said article and-to provide substantially greater elasticity 35 plain knit fabric.

than normal for the ROBERT E. DAVIS, JR.- 

